Electro-mechanical signal apparatus



(ModeL) 3' Sheets-Sheet 1 I. FISHER.

ELEGTRO MEOHANIGALSIGNAL APPARATUS. No. 246,486. ented Aug. 30,1881.

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(ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. I. FISHER.

ELEGTRO MEOHANIGAL SIGNAL APPARATUS. No. 246,486. I Patented Aug.30,1881.

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I. FISHER. BLEGTRO MECHANICAL SIGNALAPPARATUS. No. 246,486. PatentedAug. 30,1881.

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ISRAEL FISHER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SlVITCHAND SIGNAL COMPANY,OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

E LECTRO-MECHANICAL SIGNAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 246,486, dated August30, 1881.

Application filed January 15, 1881. (Model.)

To all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, ISRAEL FISHER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Boston', in the county of Suffolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electro-Mechanical Signal Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The principal feature of this invention consists of an electro-magnetprovided with a pcculiarly-constructed armature, which is fur nishedwith one or more wings or blades rotating upon an axis which is parallelto the cores of the electro-magnet and perpendicular to the face of itspoles, each of said wings forming a section of a disk, of which the saidaxis is the center, and presenting an inclined or helical surface to thepole or poles of the electromagnet. Each of said wings or blades is alsopreferably horizontally tapered, so as to present a surface ofconstantly-increz'isin g breadth to the magnetic pole when moving towardit and across the magnetic field.

The invention further consists-in combining with said electro-magnet andits armature a signal-disk connected to and moved by said armature.

The invention further consists in actuating said electro-magnet by abattery composed of 0 two sections, and in combining with the armatureof said electro-magnet a circuit-changer actuated by the movements ofsaid armature, which'acts to disconnect one section of the battery fromthe circuit which passes through the 5 electro-magnet at or before thetime when the signal-disk has been brought in its displayed position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of asignal-operatin g mech- 4o anism and visual signal embodying myimprovements; and Figs. 2 and 3 are plan views of the same, showing themechanism in two dif ferent positions, respectively adapted to displayor conceal the signal disk. Fig. 4 is an 5 enlarged view in elevation,and Fig. 5 is a similar view in plan, showing the peculiar constructionof the armature.

Ais an electro-magnet of the usual horseshoe form, which is preferablymounted in an upright position upon a base, A, as shown. The parallelcores of the electro-magnet A are connected together by a soft-ironyoke, 11, in the usual manner.

B is the soft-iron armature of the. electromagnet A. It is mounted uponan upright shaft or axis, B, which turns in a step-bearing in the yokea. The armature B is of apeculiar form, being composed of a section of ahorizontal disk or plate having the axis B in its center. It is formedinto two wings or blades, 1) and b, which are preferably horizontallytapered toward their extremities, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3. Thelower surface of the wings I) and b is of a helical form, being inclinedto the plane of the horizontal faces of the magnet-poles c c. The pointsof the wings are at the greatest ertical distance from the horizontalplane of the pole, and the central portion of the armature nearest it.Thisis best seen at b in Fig. 1, which represents the appa- 7o ratus inthe same position as it is shown in in Fig. 3.

It will therefore be understood from the above description that when anelectric current traverses the coils of the electro-magnet A its polescc, Figs.2and 3, become magnetic and exert their attractionsimultaneously upon the extremities of the wings I) and b of thearmature B, and tend to cause it to revolve horizontally upon itsvertical axis B in the direction indicated by the arrows, and thisefi'ect will continue so long as the electric current flows, or untilthe armature B has been brought into the position in which it isrepresented in Fig. 3. The strength of the magnetic attraction betweenthe poles c c and the wings I) b of the armature constantly increases asthe latter moves across the magnetic field, for the reason that the massof the armature which is within the attractive sphere of each magnetic opole gradually becomes greater as the broader part of the armature comesinto its vicinity; and moreover, in consequence of its inclined form,the mass is brought nearer and-nearer to the pole of the magnet as thearmature re- 5 volves. By reason of this peculiar form of construction Iam enabled to produce a horizontal rotation of an armature in a planeper pendicular to the axis of the cores and parallel to the face of thepoles by the direct force of magnetic attraction without anyintermediate mechanism-a result which is of great importance in theapplication of an electro-magnet to the movement of visual signals andother devices of like character. It will be seen that the axis B, uponwhich the armature B is mountethmoves through the distance ofonefourthof a complete revolution during the operation which has been described.

When a visual signal is designed to be operated by this mechanism asuitable signal disk or target, D, is mounted upon the shaft D, asshownin the figures. It will be readily understood that by turning theshaft Bthrough the distance of one-fourth of a revolution the target Dwill be placed at right angles to its former position, so as to give aditferent ind ication. For example, when employed as a railway-signalthe position shown in Fig. 2 may indicate danger, while that shown inFigs. 1 and 3 may, in like manner, indicate safety. When the apparatusis employed in this manner to operate a "isual signal it is preferablethat means should be provided whereby the signal may be securely lockedin each of its two positions. This I prefer to effect by means of asupplementary or independent armature, E, (best seen in Fig. 2,) mountedupon a pivot at 0 upon a stationary plate, F, which may be supported bythe electro-magnet A or otherwise. The arm G projects at right anglesfrom the pivot c, and carries a latch or detent, g, which takes hold ofa pin, H, upon the upper surface of the armature B by virtue of thetension of the spring I. J is another spring detent or latch, which isalso attached to the supplementary armature E, but upon the oppositeside of the pivot c. It will. be understood, therefore, that when nocurrent is traversing the coils of the electro-magnet A thesupplementary armature E and its attachments will remain in the positionshown in Fig. 2, the latch or detent 9 being engaged with the pin H.This prevents any motion of the armature B in the direction indicated bythe arrows,

while at the same time its motion in the opposite direction is limitedby the pin k on the under side of the armature resting against a fixedstop, K, which may be attached to the plate F, as shown. So soon,however, as the electric current traverses the electro-magnet A, and thepole 0 becomes magnetic, the armature E is attracted and brought intocontact with it, whichwithdraws the detent g and releases the pin H onthe armature B, so that the latter becomes free to obey the attractionof the magnet A and move into the position shown in Fig. 3. When itreaches this position a downward projection, L, upon the armature bringsup against the pole c of the electromagnet, and the movement of thearmature is thereby arrested, while at the same time the detent J, byreason of its elasticity, drops in behind the rear corner of thearmature B, as

seen in Fig. 3, and thus securely looks it in its new position. When thecurrent through the electro-magnet A is interrupted the detent J iswithdrawn from the path of the armature B by the action of the spring I,and the armature then becomes free to return to its normal position bythe action of a retracting-spring, M, the tension of which may beadjusted in the usual manner by means of a suitable adjustin g screw orpin, m.

hen the armature B and signal-target D have been brought by the actionof an electric current of sutficient power into the position representedin Fig. 3 it will be obvious that a much smaller attractive force willbe entirely sufficient to retain the armature and signal in position, itbeing only necessary that the attraction should be sufiicient to keepthe supplementaryarmature and its detentJ from falling back, thusavoiding the unnecessary consumption of batterypower, which mustotherwise ensue in case the signal is required to be held in position bya constant current for the greater part of the time, as is frequentlythe case in practice. I- prefer to make use of a device whereby asection of the battery is disconnected from the electro'magnet, whichactuatcs the signal as soon as the same is brought into position. This'1 effect by means of a commutator or switch, which is operated by thearmature itself.

a, 0, andp are threemctallic springs mounted upon suitable supports, M,which serve to insulate them from each other. The middle spring, 0, isconsiderably longer than the other two, and is so adjusted that when inits normal position of rest it will press against the spring n, as shownin Fig. 2, by virtue of its own resiliency. The pin S is placed upon theupright shaft B, and is so situated with reference to the projecting endof the spring 0 that when the apparatus moves into the position shown inFig. 3 the pin will press against the extremity of the spring 0 andseparate it from contact with the spring n, at the same time pressing itinto contact with the spring 1, whereby the necessary change in theelectrical connections is effected.

The battery connections are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 by means of askeleton-diagram. The battery T is composed of two sections, t and t,and one of its terminals is connected by the wire 1 with the spring a.The other terminal of the battery is connected by the wire 2 to a key orother circuit-closer, from which a wire, 3, goes to the binding-screw 4,which is connected with one terminal of the electromagnet A by means ofa wire, 5. The other terminal, 6, of the electro-magnet goes to thebinding-screw 7, which is connected by the wire 8 with the spring 0.Finally, the spring IIO the battery represented by t is disconnectedandonly the portion t remains in action to hold the signal in position.

A very efficient apparatus of this kind, for some purposes, may beconstructed with an electro-magnet having but a single helix and core,in which case the armature mayhave but a single wing 01' blade; or itmay be provided with two wings at opposite ends of the core, facing itsrespective poles. The principle of operation in these modificationsremains the same as in the apparatus hereinbefore described.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially ashereinbefore set forth, of an electro-magnet and an armature which movestoward and from its poles in a plane perpendicular to the axis of thecores and parallel to the face of the poles of said electro-magnet, andwhich presents an inclined or helical surface to the said poles.

2. The armature of an electro-magnet, constructed substantiallyashereinbefore setforth, consisting of two wings or blades rotating uponan axis parallel to the cores of the electro-magnet, which present aninclined or helical surface to the respective poles of saidelectromagnet.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth,of anelectro-magnet, an armature which moves toward and from its polesin aplane perpendicular to the axis of the cores and parallel to the face ofthe poles of said electro-magnet, and a detent controlled by anindependent armature which normally locks the first-mentioned armaturein its position of rest, but is withdrawn by the action of the sameelectric current which is employed to effect the movement of thefirst-mentioned armature.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of aneleetro-magnet, an armature which moves toward and fromits polesin aplane perpendicular to the axis of the cores and parallel to the face ofthe poles of said electromagnet, a detent controlled by an independentarmature which is held in position to lock the first-mentioned armatureby the action of the same electric current which effects the movement ofthe said armature, and a spring which withdraws the locking-detent fromthe first armature when the second armature is released.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of anelectro-magnet, an armature, a signal-disk mechanically connected to andmoved by said armature, a battery for actuating said electro-magnet,which batteryis composed of two sections, and acircuit-changer actuatedby the movement of said armature, which disconnects one section of saidbattery from the electro-magnet just before the signaldisk has beenbrought to its displayed position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day ofDecember, A. D. 1880.

ISRAEL FISHER.

Witnesses:

TRACY HOWE, JOHN H. GREENE.

